Vintage Orange Hungarian Elektrofem Adjustable Desk Lamp HE-4380

An unusual desk lamp hailing from Hungary and made in the early 1970s, in a suitable tone of orange for the era. Made by Elektrofem this is their model HE-4380, a mix of cast metal, chrome, and plastic which is a little different from the norm when it comes to vintage desk lamps.  A few things to note right away. First, it has holes in the base for wall or flat surface fixing. Second, and unusually, the shade is at a fixed height but can be rotated in both axes. Thirdly, well, it’s just a bit different.

This one is in original used condition – plenty of wear and tear to it but also plenty of life left too. Rather than resurface the paintwork as might sometimes be the case, it’s been left “as is” for either for the buyer to apply a coat of paint to it, or to continue to leave it alone and retain the character it undoubtedly has.

The lamp measures approximately 40cm (16 in.) in height with the fixed point of the shade at about 30cm (12 in.). The base has a diameter of 15.5cm (6 in.) with a very shallow depth of 0.5cm (¼ in.) rising another 0.5cm (¼ in.) to the junction of the vertical, which itself is offset from the centre of the base. The shade rim has a diameter of 12.5cm (5 in.) narrowing to 7cm (2¾ in.) at the rear.  The lamp holder takes a large screw E27 bulb and the flex has an inline switch and two plastic retainers to keep it close to the vertical chrome rod.